Stage 02 · Landing
What it actually costs.
Move the sliders to your own situation, then compare all five cities side by side. Figures are sourced and dated, or labelled as estimates until they are. Rent and transport are measured per city; groceries, utilities and phone start from national government estimates you adjust to fit.
Work it out
Your weekly cost, one person
Pick a city, pick how you plan to live, then adjust anything that doesn't fit. Starting points, not a guarantee
Study mode adds tuition and part-time work, so you get a figure for the whole year rather than a weekly living cost.
Your first year, all in
This total is not the amount Immigration NZ requires a visa applicant to show.
Information, not advice. This is a general cost-of-living calculation based on your own inputs. It is not tailored to you and does not reflect any immigration requirement. Immigration New Zealand separately publishes a minimum funds figure that student visa applicants must show they hold; that figure doesn't vary with lifestyle the way living costs do, so we don't compare the two here. Check the current figure at immigration.govt.nz.
Single-person estimates drawn from public data: rent and transport per city, groceries/utilities/phone from national government estimates (sources under the table below). This is a general calculation, not tailored to you, and your actual costs will vary.
Weekly · one person
All five cities, side by side
The same categories as the calculator, at each city's one-bedroom flat setting. Lowest is highlighted on the rows that vary by city. Sourced · one labelled estimate†
Weekly · couple with one child
A skilled migrant family
One household shape of many: two adults, one car, one child at primary school. Larger families, single parents and multi-generational households will differ. Rent sourced Other rows estimates
| Weekly, NZ$ | Auckland | Wellington | Christchurch | Hamilton | Dunedin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent (2-bedroom house, city-wide median) | $600 | $610 | $520 | $545 | $500 |
| Groceries | $300 | $290 | $280 | $270 | $270 |
| Car: fuel, insurance, registration | $120 | $110 | $105 | $105 | $100 |
| Power, water, internet | $85 | $90 | $90 | $80 | $100 |
| School costs, averaged | $25 | $25 | $25 | $25 | $25 |
| Phones, two | $30 | $30 | $30 | $30 | $30 |
| Everything else | $120 | $120 | $110 | $100 | $100 |
| Weekly total Estimate | $1,280 | $1,275 | $1,160 | $1,155 | $1,125 |
Weekly · average household
What households actually spend
Real figures, not a sample. This is the average across all households in each region (singles, couples, flats, families together), so it won't match any one household exactly, including the family above. Sourced
| Weekly, NZ$ per household | Auckland | Wellington | Christchurch† |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery food | $151.50 | $139.10 | $123.90 |
| Household energy | $45.00 | $48.30 | $54.00 |
The first 90 days
Landing checklist
Eight things, roughly in the order they unblock each other. Setup costs are one-off and approximate. Before any of this, there is the pre-departure checklist; once you're settling in, there's what people get wrong about New Zealand. Some costs estimates
| Sort out | When | Setup cost, NZ$ |
|---|---|---|
| IRD number (your tax number) | Week 1 | Free |
| Bank account Sourced | Week 1 | $0 – $5 / month |
| Phone SIM, prepaid first Sourced | Week 1 | $8 – $40 / month |
| Tenancy and bond | Weeks 1–4 | Bond (up to 4 weeks' rent) + 1–2 weeks' rent in advance |
| Power and internet Estimate | Weeks 1–4 | $0 – $200 bond |
| Enrol with a GP | Month 1 | Free; visits vary |
| Driver licence conversion Sourced | Months 1–3 | $52 – $158 |
| School enrolment Estimate | Before term starts | ~$300 uniform and stationery |
- Bond is up to four weeks' rent and must be lodged with Tenancy Services, not kept by the landlord. Get every agreement in writing.
- Power and internet retailers can be compared before you sign. Some want a bond from new customers with no NZ credit history.
- GP visits and school fees can be full price or subsidised depending on your visa. Public schools enrol by zone, so confirm before you choose a suburb.
- Driver licence: how long you can drive on an overseas licence, and whether a test is needed, depend on the issuing country. Check nzta.govt.nz.
The full arrival checklist, item by item →
told us
Hidden costs
The costs people miss.
None of these is a secret. They just don't appear on the tables above, so people budget without them.
- Bond can be up to four weeks, not one. Plus rent in advance, so moving in can mean six weeks of rent leaving your account in one day. It comes back at the end if the place is left as you found it.
- Letting fees are banned. Moving is not free. A van, a bed, a fridge and a week of takeaways while you set up still add up.
- Winter heating. Many older houses are cold and damp, and power bills can double in July. Ask about insulation and heating before you sign.
- A car, then everything around it. Outside the main centres a car is close to necessary. Add insurance, registration, a warrant of fitness (the regular safety check every car must pass) and fuel.
- Health costs before residence. Some visa holders are not eligible for publicly funded health care, so a GP visit, a prescription or an emergency can be full price. Some visas carry a health insurance condition; check the conditions on your own visa.
- Sending money home. Transfer fees and exchange margins are small per transaction and add up over a year. The total cost is the fee plus the exchange rate margin, not the fee alone. We do not recommend a provider.